This invention relates to the holding and cutting of sheet glass into smaller pieces with multiple rotary blades. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved process for holding sheet glass, preventing damage during cutting with multiple blade stacks, and releasing the multiple pieces after cutting without damage or need for special cleaning.
It is well known that sheet glass may be cut by scoring and breaking, or by cutting with rotary blade members, incorporating industrial diamonds, or other abrasives. It is also known to utilize multiple blades spaced along a rotatable arbor and to move a work table holding one or more sheets of glass beneath the arbor to perform multiple cuts through the glass.
Conventional methods for holding the glass in place on the work table during cutting are vacuum hold-down systems, or hot wax. If the sheet glass is to be cut into many small pieces, vacuum hold-down systems become progressively ineffective with increasing number of pieces or smaller pieces, since each piece must be held separately. On the other hand, the use of hot wax is time consuming and requires a subsequent cleaning operation with the possibility of damaging the work pieces by surface abrasion.
It would be desirable to firmly hold down the sheet glass during cutting and to hold each piece subsequent to cutting to prevent chipping or scratching during cutting, and to release the work without damage or need of special cleaning afterwards.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved process for holding and cutting sheet glass with multiple blades.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method for holding and protecting sheet glass during a cutting operation.